Composite luminescent tube panel system



Jan. 1, 1935. c. M. H. NELSON 1,986,009

COMPOSITE LUMINESCENT TUBE PANEL SYSTEM Filed April 21, I933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W; n z,

24 FEE 4h 36 v INVENTOR C ARLEJ Ml-l. NELSON ATTORNEY Jan. 1, 1935. c. M. H. NELSON 1,986,009

COMPOSITE LUMINE SGENT TUBE PANEL SYSTEM Filed April 21, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 55 M5 FIELE.

55 INVENTOR CHARLES M.H. NELSON 'A'TTORNEY Patented Jan. 1, 1935 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- oomosrm LUmNEscnN'rTUBE PANEL SYSTE This invention has to do in a general way with signs such as are used on marquees, storefronts, bill boards, and the like, and is more particularly related to illuminated signs wherein gas or vapora filled tubes, energized by -'high tension electric current, are employed as the source of light.

The present invention is an improvement on a sign construction shown and described in my copending application, Serial No. 581,171, filed December 15, 1931, and has as one object the production of a sign unit composed of individual characters or letter sections which are interembedded metallic conductors for delivering current to the electrodes of the light tube and for carrying a: return circuit across a series of panels, such conductors being arranged so as to eliminate the liability of short circuits due to exposure.

It is another object of this invention to provide panels of the class described with connecting means which facilitate their installation and removal by. unskilled labor with a minimum of danger.

I In this connection itis an important feature of .my invention that the segments or panels, together with the connections and the conductors associated therewith, are of substantially standard or uniform construction so that the burden of building up a high potential circuit in a composite sign made up of these segments falls upon uniformity of factory supervision, and is free from the petty annoyances incidental to the installation and servicing which has heretofore attended signs of this character.

It is a still further object of this invention to produce a novel type of bus bar, or bus jumper, which is associated with a novel form of socket member incorporated in the edge portions of the panels contemplated by this invention, and is designed to insure complete protection for the metallic conductors.

Another object of this invention is to provide a structure of the class described wherein the terminal electrodes of the letter or character light tubes are dielectrically sealed in insulated housings formed on the plates or panels whereby the high voltage circuit through the composite sign unit is effectively insulated, thus permitting use of the plates or panels in a narrow frame or case having a small air-gap clearance between the panels and the back of the frame.

My invention also contemplates a sign unit having illuminated tubular characters of the class described which may be employed in a case or frame that is designed and constructed for sheet metal character panels, and it accordingly becomes a. still further object of this invention to provide a composite character panel of the class described which comprises a sheet metal front panel and an insulated or dielectric back panel, the latter carrying the metallic conductors above referred to.

Although various materials having high dielectric' properties may be employed in the construction' of panels of the class described, I consider it essential to the present invention that such material be one in which the conductors can be molded or cast integrally with the panel. Porcelain, tile, and other ceramic materials are especially adapted to use in producing the panel contemplated by this invention, and, material, such as Bakelite may also be employed.

In order that the conductors may be enclosed by a substantial quantity of insulating material, I have devised a novel method for forming the panels, such method also being contemplated by this invention.

It is another object of this invention to produce a sign unit of the class described which is of simple form and construction, is neat in appearance, and may be economically manufactured.

The details in the construction of certain preferred embodiments of my invention, together with other objects attending its production, will be best understood from the following description of the accompanyingdrawings which are chosen for illustrative purposes only, and in which- Fig. 1 is a front view showing a p rtion of a sign unit of the type contemplated by this invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view showing the construction and. arrangement of a series of panels of a sign of the type shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken in a plane represented by the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan section taken through the ad- 'joining edges of two adjacent panels and showing a preferred form of conductor connection with its protective housing; also illustrating a preferred construction of the housing which encloses and protects the terminal electrode on the character tube;

Fig. is an enlarged back elevation illustrating further details in the construction of the channel member contemplated by this invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken in a plane Y represented by the line 66 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a pre-.

ferred form of bus bar, or bus Jumper. contemplated by this invention.

templated by this invention.

More particularly describing the invention as herein illustrated, reference numeral 11 indicates a frame which, as shownin Fig. 3, embodies a top plate 12, a bottom plate'13, and a rear plate 14. The top and bottom plates at their forward edges are provided with channels 15 and 16, such channels being adapted to receive the top and bottom edges of sign panels generally indicated by reference numeral 17. These sign panels, which I may otherwise term character panels or character segments, can be broadly classified into three types, namely, letter or character panels, indicated by reference numerals 18 and 18', spacing panels 19, and a return circuit panel 20.

- In the form shown, the character or letter panels are illustrated as being provided with the letters N E W" S to spell the word "News. It will be understood, of course, that the number of panels may be extended to any desired extent conforming with the size of the frame and transformer capacity.

The letters formed on the letter or character panels, as has been mentioned hereinabove. are of the type commonly known as neon" tubes, such tubes being of the gas or vapor-filled type which are illuminated when the electrodes of the tube are connected to a source of high potential energy.

The tubes 21 forming the letters are supported on the front face of the panels by means of suitable supporting clips indicated at 22.

For the purpose of sealing the electrode portions of the tubes, I provide each panel with a pair of spaced housings 23 and 23. These housings are formed integrally with the panel, projecting rearwardly therefrom and having openings 24 in the front of the panel through which the electrode portions 25 of the character tube 21 extend.

The electrode portions 25 of the tube are sealed in the housings 23 and 23', against the ingress of moisture, by means of gasket members indicated The electrodes 28 on each tube are connected through suitable conductors indicated at 29 to terminal posts 30 provided in each of the housings.

As has been pointed out hereinabove, it is one object of. this invention to provide a sign unit made up of a plurality of individual and interchangeable segments, each carrying an independ- .14 of the frame.

may be connected in series to a source of high potential energy. In other words, the housings 23 and 23' which enclose and dielectrically seal the electrode portions of the tubes are provided with conductors, indicated at 31, each of which is connected to a terminal post 30 at one end, and is connected at its other end with a clip member 32.

The conductors are completely embedded in the insulating material which goes to form the plate or panel, and the clip members 32 are also embedded in the panels with their open portions ad- Jacent a socket member 33 formed on the edge of the panel. It will be understood, of course, that the adjacent edges of the panels are provided with corresponding socket members which are in substantial alignment with the panels and are positioned in the frame. In Fig. 4, a pair of such socket members are indicated at 33 and 33. The socket member 33' contains the clip member 32 which is connected to a conductor 31 leading to another housing and terminal not shown.

For the purpose of connecting the adjacent clip members and their associated conductors, I employ, what I may term, a bus bar, or bus Jumper,

indicated at 34. This bus jumper 34 comprises a metallic bar which is surrounded by a sleeve composed of some insulating material such as rubber.

The sleeve which is indicated by reference numeral 36 is provided with an enlarged collar 3''! adapted to fit within and completely fill the space formed by the two adjacent socket members.

For the purpose of further protecting the metallic conductors within the panels, I provide the adjacent edges of the panels with rabbets indicated at 38.

It will be seen from the construction so far described that the electrode portion of each panel is provided with a completely insulated housing so that the panels can be placed in a narrow or thin frame leaving a comparatively small air-gap between the back of the housings and the rear plate It will also be seen" from the construction so far described, that the letter or character tubes are connected in series. This series circuit of gas-filled tubes is in turn connected through a conductor 40 embedded in the spacing panel 19 to another conductor 41 embedded in an end panel 19', this last mentioned conductor being connected to a wire or cable 42 which leads to the source of energy.

The return circuit from the series, just referred to, follows through a return conductor 43 embedded in the return circuit panel 20 and then through a series of embedded conductors 44 embedded in each of thepanels in spaced relation with the housings and their associated connections. The conductors 44 are associated at their end portions with sockets, connecting clips, and bus bars of the type above referred to, such connections being indicated by reference numeral 45. This last mentioned series of conductors leads to a conductor 47 embedded in the spac ng panel 19 which in turn is connected to a conductor 48 embedded in the panel 19' and connected to the other cable 42 coming from the source of electric energy.

It is to be understood that the positions of the various housings 23 and 23' may vary among the different plates, depending upon the character carried by the plate and the manner in which such character is formed. In any event, however, the two terminal housings are connected through embedded conductors to socket members which are in substantial alignment. In the panel 18',

the housings 23 and 23' are in substantial alignment with each other, and with their respective socket members. In the panel 18, however, which carries the letter N, the housing 23' is spaced vertically below the housing 23, and the conductor leads from the housing 23' to the socket member 33', follows upwardly across the plate and then horizontally in alignment with the socket member 33.

It will also be understood that various types and forms of conductors may be employed in the manufacture of the panels contemplated by this invention. I prefer, however, to use a conductor which is not insulated or one which is provided with an insulating material of the same general character as the material from which the panel is made. In this connection, I have devised a novel method of forming these plates which contemplates the use of a bare wire as the conductor, such wire being provided with a plurality of spaced beads, formed of glass or other suitable material, which support the wire in a form during the molding of the panel. This procedure is best illustrated in Fig. 11 where the conductor wire 31 is shown as being provided with spaced beads or supporting members 50 which rest on a bottom surface 51 of a mold 52. The edge of the mold is formed by a plate member 53, which in turn is provided with a core 54 which forms the socket. The core is provided with a projection 55 adapted to support the clip member 32. V

In a device of the class just described, when it is manufactured from a ceramic material such as tile or porcelain, it is important that some means he provided for protecting the horizontal edges of the panels which are received in the channels 15 and 16. In this connection it is to be under stood that the upper panel channel is of a depth such that the panel can be removed simply by lifting the panel so that its lower edge clears the front edge of the bottom panel 16 after which the lower edge can be tipped outwardly and-the panel lowered downwardly to remove the same.

For the purpose of protecting the edges of the panels against chipping during their installation and removal, I provide them with metallic reinforcing or protecting members indicated by reference numerals 55 and 55.

As was pointed out in the earlier part of the specification, it is another object of this invention to produce a sign structure of the class described which may be employed in a frame designed for use in connection with sheet metal character plates or panels. In other words, this latter form of my invention contemplates the conversion of an ordinary composite sign, made up of sheet metal panels received in a suitable frame, into a sign which carries illuminated letters of the type above referred to. This object is accomplished through the modified form of my invention shown in Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive wherein the character panel is shown as comprising a sheet metal front panel 61 upon the back of which a plate 62, composed of insulating material, ismounted. The plate 62, which is similar in all essential respects to the plate or panel described in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, is secured to the back of the plate by means of bolts or screws indicated at 63, and is arranged so as to leave a projection of the metallic or sheet metal plate both above and below the insulating plate.

The insulating plate 62 is provided with rearwardly projecting housings 64 and 64' which receive the electrode portions of the character tube the type shown in Ifigs. 8 to 10 inclusive, are

formed so that the sheet metal portions overlap as indicated at 6'1. This is accomplished by providing one edge of each plate with a recess 68 which extends into the rear insulating plate. The next adjacent sheet metal panel extends beyond the rear insulating plate as indicated at 69 so that it overlies the recessed portion 68.

The arrangement of the conductors and their associated clip members, bus bars, and enclosing sockets, in this form of my invention is substantially the same as that described above in connection with Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive.

It is to be understood that, while I have herein described and illustrated one preferred form of my invention, the invention is not limited to the precise construction described above, but includes within its scope whatever changes fairly come within the spirit of the appended claims.-

I claim as my invention:

1. For use in a sign of the class described: a molded plate formed of insulating material; a pair of rearwardly projecting housings formed on said plate; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on the front of said plate and having terminal electrode portions contained in said housings; a pair of aligned clip members embedded in said plate at the vertical edges thereof; and conductors embedded in said plate and in the walls of said housings for connecting each clip member with one of said terminal electrodes.

2. For use in a sign of the class described: a molded plate formed of insulating material; a pair of rearwardly projecting housings formed on said plate; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on the front of said plate and having terminal electrode portions contained in said housings; a pair of aligned clip members embedded in said plate at the vertical edges thereof; conductors embedded in said plate and in the wall of said housings for connecting each clip member with one of said terminal electrodes; another pair of aligned clip members embedded in the vertical edges of said plate in spaced relation with'said first mentioned clip members; and a conductor embedded in said plate and connecting said last mentioned clip members for carrying a return circuit across said plate.

' 3. For use in a sign of the class described: a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of rearwardly projecting housings formed integrally with said plate; a terminal post in each housing; a pair of aligned clip members embeddedin the opposite vertical edges of said plate; sockets formed on the edges of said plates surrounding said clip members; .conductors embedded in said plate and in the walls of said housings for connecting each clip member with one of saidterminal posts; and conducting bars removably mounted in said clips. Y

4. For use in a sign of the class described: a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of rearwardly projecting housings formed integrally with said plate; a terminal post in each housing; a pair of aligned clip members embedded in the opposite vertical edges of said plate; sockets formed on the edges of said plates surrounding said clip members; conductors embeddedin said plate and in the walls of said housings for connecting each clip member with one of said terminai posts; another pair of aligned clip members embedded in the vertical edges of said plate in spaced relation with said first mentioned clip members; a conductor embedded in said plate and connecting said last mentioned clip members for carrying a return circuit across said plate; conducting bars removably mounted in said.

clips, and an insulating collar formed on the midportion of each bar and shaped to fit in the corresponding socket. a

. 5. For use in a sign of the class described: a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of housings formed integrally with said plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said housings having openings in the front of said plate; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on the front of said plate and having terminal electrode portions contained in said housings; a packing ring interposed between each of said electrode portions and the opening in its corresponding housing; a pair of electrical connection means embedded in the verticaledges of said plate; and conductors embedded in said plate connecting each of said connections with one of said electrodes.

6. For use in a sign of the class described: a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of electrode housings formed integrally with said plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said housings having openings in the front of said plate; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on the front of said plate and having terminal electrode portions contained in said .housings; a packing ring interposed between each of said electrode portions and the opening in its corresponding housing; a pair of electrical connection means embeddedin the vertical edges of said plate; conductors embedded in said plate connecting each of said connections with one of said electrodes; and metallic reinforcing strips mounted on the top and bottom edges ot said plate.

7. For use in a sign of the class described: a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of rearwardly projecting housings formed integrally with said plate; a terminal post in each of said housings; a pair of aligned socket members formed on the opposite vertical edges of said plate; clip members embedded in said plate and extending into said sockets conductors embedded in said plate and in the walls of said housings, said conductors connecting each of said clips with one of said terminal posts; conducting bars removably mounted in said clips; and an insulating collar formed on the mid-portion of each bar and shaped to at in the corresponding socket.

8. For use in a sign of the class describedz-a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of terminal posts supported by said plate and adapted for connection with the terminal portions oi a tubular gas-filled character; a pair of aligned socket members formed on the opposite vertical edges of said plate; clips embedded in said plate and extending into each of said socket members;

, conductors connecting each of said c ips with one of said terminal posts; conducting barsremovably mounted in said clips; and an insulating collar formed on the mid-portion of each bar and shaped to fit in the corresponding socket.

,9. For use in a sign of the class described: a plate formed of insulating material; a pair of terminal posts supported by said plate and adapted for connection with the terminal portions of .a tubular gas-filled character; a pair of aligned belied socket members formed on the opposite vertical edges of said plate; clips embedded in said plate and extending into each of said socket members; conductors embedded in said plates and connecting each of said clips with one of said terminal posts; conducting bars removably mounted in said clips; and an insulating collar'formed on the mid-portion of each bar and shaped to fit in the corresponding socket.

'10. A sign embodying: a frame; a plurality of plates formed of insulating material removably mounted in said frame; a pair of rearwardly projecting electrode housings formed integrally with each of said plates; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on each of said plates and having electrode portions contained in said housings; and means for connecting the characters on the successive plates in series comprising conductors embedded in said plates and in the walls of said housings, means connecting said conductors with the electrodes in said characters, aligned clips embedded in the adjacent edges of said plates and connected to said conductors, socket members formed on said plates and enclosing said clips, and bus bars contained within said socket members and interconnecting adjacent clips.

11. A sign embodying: a frame; a plurality of plates formed of insulating material removably mounted in said frame; a pair of rearwardly projecting electrode housings formed integrally with each of said plates; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on each of said plates and having electrode portions contained in said housings; and means connecting the characters on the successive plates in series comprising conductors embedded in said plates andin the walls of said housings, means connecting said conductors with the electrodes in said character, aligned clips embedded in the adjacent edges of saidplates and connected to said conductors.- socket members formed on said plates and enclosing said clips, bus bars contained within said sockets and interconnecting adjacent clips, an insulating sleeve surrounding each has bar, and a gasket on each of said sleeves. adapted to fill the space enclosed by said sockets.

12. For use in combination with a sign frame of the class described a character unit embodying; a sheet metal panel having a pair of spaced openings therein; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on the front of said panel and having electrode portions extending through said openings; a plate formed of insulating material mounted on the back of said panel; electrode housings formed integrally with said plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said housings having openings corresponding with the openings in said panel for receiving said electrode portions; conductors embedded in said plate and in said housings; means connecting said conductors to the electrodes in said tube; and aligned clip members embedded in the vertical edges of said plate and connected with said conductors.

13. For use in combination with a sign frame of the class described a character unit embodying: a sheet metal panel having a pair of spaced openings therein; a tubular gas-filled character mounted on the front of said panel and having electrode portions extending through said openings; a plate formed of insulating material mounted on the back oi said panel; electrode housings formed integrally with said plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said housings having openings corresponding with the openings in said panel for receiving said electrode portions; conductors embedded in said-plate and in said mounted on the back of said panel; electrode housings formed integrally with said plate and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said housings having openings corresponding with the openings in said panel for receiving said electrode portions; conductors embedded in said plate and said housing; means connecting said conductors to the electrodes in said tube; and aligned clip members embedded in the vertical edges of said plate and connected with said conductors, the edges of said 10 metal plate being rabbeted.

CHARLES M. H. NELSON. 

